Portable leg support

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a portable leg support, comprising: a detachable seat coupling, the detachable seat coupling having an engagement member to secure the detachable seat coupling to a seat; an upper body connected to the detachable seat coupling, the upper body having a pair of retractable upper leg supports, the upper legs supports each extending into a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the upper body and being diametrically opposed to each other when extended; and a lower body connected to the upper body, the lower body having a pair of retractable lower leg supports, the lower legs supports each extending into a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lower body and being diametrically opposed to each other when extended, wherein the leg support provides support for a user&#39;s legs when coupled to a seat and the upper leg supports and lower leg supports are extended.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present specification relates generally to leg supports and moreparticularly to a portable leg support which may be detachably coupledto a chair seat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understandingthe present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of theinformation provided herein is prior art nor material to the presentlydescribed or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or documentthat is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

Commercial air travel is one of the safest, most reliable and dependablemethods of transportation; short and long distances from one place toanother. Millions of people of all ages travel by air every day. Longdistance travel by air and motor vehicle as a passenger without exerciseand movement of the leg is associated with serious health risks. Gravityand lack of exercise or movement of dependent legs during long airtravel and vehicular travel are associated with ankle edema, venousblood pooling in dependent legs, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the legveins. A suitable solution is desired to allow people to travelcomfortably.

Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in devices foravoiding blood stagnation art. Among these are found in: U.S. Pat. No.7,954,900; 2005/0277856; 2002/0160892. This prior art is representativeof devices for avoiding blood stagnation.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a needexists for a reliable deep vein thrombosis prevention system, and toavoid the above-mentioned problems.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided aportable leg support which may be detachably coupled to a chair seat.The leg support is intended to assist with the prevention of deep veinthrombosis (DVT) during air travel, among other uses.

According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided aportable leg support, comprising: a detachable seat coupling, thedetachable seat coupling having an engagement member to secure thedetachable seat coupling to a seat; an upper body connected to thedetachable seat coupling, the upper body having a pair of retractableupper leg supports, the upper legs supports each extending into aposition perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the upper body andbeing diametrically opposed to each other when extended; and a lowerbody connected to the upper body, the lower body having a pair ofretractable lower leg supports, the lower legs supports each extendinginto a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lower bodyand being diametrically opposed to each other when extended, wherein theleg support provides support for a user's legs when coupled to a seatand the upper leg supports and lower leg supports are extended.

Additionally, the portable leg support may further comprise aretractable base, the retractable base extending into a positionperpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of the lower body and thelower leg supports, the retractable base supporting the portable legsupport when extended. The portable leg support may further include anadjustment mechanism permitting movement of the lower body relative tothe upper body to adjust an overall length of the portable leg support.If present, the retractable base may further comprise a heightadjustment mechanism, the height adjustment mechanism permittingadjustment of the height of the retractable base when extended.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided amethod of securing a portable leg support to a seat, comprising:securing the portable leg support to the seat via a detachable seatcoupling, the detachable seat coupling having an engagement member tosecure the detachable seat coupling to a seat, with the portable legsupport comprising: an upper body connected to the detachable seatcoupling, the upper body having a pair of retractable upper legsupports, the upper legs supports each extending into a positionperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the upper body and beingdiametrically opposed to each other when extended; and a lower bodyconnected to the upper body, the lower body having a pair of retractablelower leg supports, the lower legs supports each extending into aposition perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lower body andbeing diametrically opposed to each other when extended, and extendingthe upper leg supports and the lower leg supports; wherein the legsupport provides support for a user's legs when coupled to the seat andthe upper leg supports and lower leg supports are extended.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages,and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is tobe understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achievedin accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus,the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achievesor optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught hereinwithout necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught orsuggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to benovel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in theconcluding portion of the specification. These and other features,aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become betterunderstood with reference to the following drawings and detaileddescription.

Other aspects and features according to the present application willbecome apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review ofthe following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunctionwith the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, byway of example only, embodiments of the invention, and how they may becarried into effect, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a portable leg support attached to a seataccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the portable leg support of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the portable leg support of FIG. 1 in aretracted position;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the portable leg support of FIG. 1 in acollapsed position;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a seat coupling for a portable leg supportaccording to an embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of a seat coupling for a portable leg supportaccording to another embodiment.

Like reference numerals indicated like or corresponding elements in thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates generally to leg supports and moreparticularly to a portable leg support which may be detachably coupledto a chair seat. The leg support is intended to assist with theprevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during air travel, among otheruses.

According to an embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, a portable leg support100 is shown secured to a seat 110. The leg support 100 is formed from adetachable seat coupling 120, an upper body 140 and a lower body 150.Upper body 140 and lower body 150 may be a unitary piece, or separateelements, as discussed below. Upper body 140 includes a pair of upperleg supports 130 which pivot out via hinge 135 to a positionperpendicular to upper body 140. Similarly, lower body 150 includes apair of lower leg supports 160 which pivot out via hinge 165 to aposition perpendicular to lower body 150. In operation, upper legsupports 130 provide support to the user's upper legs (e.g.thigh/hamstring region) and the lower leg supports 160 provide supportto the user's lower legs (e.g. calf/ankle region). Lower body 150 mayrest upon a floor or similar surface to support and balance portable legsupport 100.

Referring to FIG. 2, portable leg support 100 may further include a base170 to provide additional support to the lower body 150. Base 170 may beretractable into lower body 150 via hinge 175 in the same manner aslower leg support 160. Additionally, base 170 may include a heightadjustment mechanism 180, such as a telescoping mechanism or fixedposition adjustment mechanism (e.g. spring tabs and holes). Inoperation, the height and angle of portable leg support 100 may beadjusted via adjustment of the height adjustment mechanism 180. Further,seat coupling 120 and upper body 130 may then be pivotally engaged toallow adjustment of the angle of portable leg support 100 in cooperationwith height adjustment mechanism 180.

As shown in FIG. 3, upper leg supports 130 may be pivoted via hinge 135to be contained within the upper body 140. Similarly, lower leg supports160 may be pivoted via hinge 165 to be contained within the lower body150. Thus, leg supports may be retracted when not in use for easiertransportation and storage of portable leg support 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, lower body 150 may be partially or fully retractableinto lower body 140 to further reduce the size of portable leg support100 for storage and transportation. It may be noted that for clarityFIG. 4 is not shown to scale and the dimensions of upper body 140 andlower body 150 should be such as to provide for upper leg supports 130and lower leg supports 160 to be of sufficient size to provide legsupport to the user without undue pressure on the user's legs.

Seat coupling 120 may, as shown in FIG. 5, be formed from a pair ofopposing arms, with an arm adjustment mechanism connected to each arm toadjust the distance between the arms. The adjustment mechanism ispreferably a spring-loaded mechanism or similar tensioned mechanism tosecure seat coupling 120 to the seat 110. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 6, seat coupling 120 may be formed from s a single arm, the singlearm movable between an extended position and a retracted position via ahinge 125, which may or may not be under tension. The single armalternative may be preferred for use with thicker seats or seats that donot have an exposed cushion or edge the seat coupling 120 may readilyengage.

As shown, portable leg support 100 may be cylindrical orsemi-cylindrical in shape, or various ratios of rectangular prisms.Thus, upper body 140 and lower body 150 would be circular,semi-circular, square or rectangular in cross-section. Similarly, upperleg supports 130 and lower leg supports 160 may be semi-cylinders orrectangular prisms.

In operation, lower body 150 is extended out from upper body 140, ifrequired. Then upper leg supports 130 and lower leg supports 160 areextended into position as shown in FIG. 1. If present, base 170 may alsobe extended. The leg support 100 is then attached to sear 110 via seatcoupling 120. If any adjustment mechanisms are provided for upper body140 and lower body 150, and/or base 170, final adjustments to the lengthand height may be made. The portable leg support 100 then allows theuser to extend their legs while seated, with both the upper legs (i.e.upper hamstring region) and lower legs (i.e. ankle/lower calf region)supports. With the user's legs extended and supported, vulnerability toconditions that are aggravated by remaining in a seated position for anextended time, such as DVT, is thereby reduced.

Preferably, all parts of portable leg support 100 are formed from ahigh-strength, lightweight plastic, however, other materials such asmetal or wood may be used. Overall construction may eliminate materialswhere excessive weight would hinder user portability. Overall dimensionsmay be dependent upon user size and the retractability of lower body150, however, it is envisioned that when retracted as shown in FIG. 3,the portable leg support 100 is dimensioned similarly to a large waterbottle in height and width.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention.Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certainadaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments areconsidered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than theforegoing description and all changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable leg support, comprising: a detachableseat coupling, the detachable seat coupling having an engagement memberto secure the detachable seat coupling to a seat; an upper bodyconnected to the detachable seat coupling, the upper body having a pairof retractable upper leg supports, the upper legs supports eachextending into a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of theupper body and being diametrically opposed to each other when extended;and a lower body connected to the upper body, the lower body having apair of retractable lower leg supports, the lower legs supports eachextending into a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of thelower body and being diametrically opposed to each other when extended,wherein the leg support provides support for a user's legs when coupledto a seat and the upper leg supports and lower leg supports areextended.
 2. The portable leg support of claim 1, wherein the lower bodyfurther comprises a retractable base, the retractable base extendinginto a position perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of the lowerbody and the lower leg supports, the retractable base supporting theportable leg support when extended.
 3. The portable leg support of claim1, further comprising an adjustment mechanism connecting the upper bodyand the lower body, the adjustment mechanism permitting movement of thelower body relative to the upper body to adjust an overall length of theportable leg support.
 4. The portable leg support of claim 2, whereinthe retractable base further comprises a height adjustment mechanism,the height adjustment mechanism permitting adjustment of the height ofthe retractable base when extended.
 5. The portable leg support of claim3, wherein the adjustment mechanism is a telescoping mechanism.
 6. Theportable leg support of claim 4, wherein the height adjustment mechanismis a telescoping mechanism.
 7. The portable leg support of claim 1,wherein the detachable seat coupling comprises a pair of opposing arms,with an arm adjustment mechanism connected to each arm to adjust thedistance between the arms.
 8. The portable leg support of claim 7,wherein the arm adjustment mechanism is a spring-loaded mechanism. 9.The portable leg support of claim 1, wherein the detachable seatcoupling comprises a single arm, the single arm movable between anextended position and a retracted position via a hinge.
 10. The portableleg support of claim 1, wherein the upper body and lower body are ofsimilar cross-section, the cross-section being one of: a circle, asquare, a rectangle and a semi-circle.
 11. The portable leg support ofclaim 1, wherein the upper leg supports and lower leg supports are ofsimilar cross-section, the cross-section being one of: a square, arectangle and a semi-circle.
 12. The portable leg support of claim 1,wherein the lower body at least partially retractable into the upperbody.
 13. A method of securing a portable leg support to a seat,comprising: securing the portable leg support to the seat via adetachable seat coupling, the detachable seat coupling having anengagement member to secure the detachable seat coupling to a seat, withthe portable leg support comprising: an upper body connected to thedetachable seat coupling, the upper body having a pair of retractableupper leg supports, the upper legs supports each extending into aposition perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the upper body andbeing diametrically opposed to each other when extended; and a lowerbody connected to the upper body, the lower body having a pair ofretractable lower leg supports, the lower legs supports each extendinginto a position perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the lower bodyand being diametrically opposed to each other when extended, andextending the upper leg supports and the lower leg supports; wherein theleg support provides support for a user's legs when coupled to the seatand the upper leg supports and lower leg supports are extended.
 14. Themethod of claim 13, wherein lower body of the portable leg supportfurther comprises a retractable base, the retractable base extendinginto a position perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of the lowerbody and the lower leg supports, the retractable base supporting theportable leg support when extended extension arms and the support armsare of similar length.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprisingadjusting the portable leg support using an adjustment mechanismconnecting the upper body and the lower body, the adjustment mechanismpermitting movement of the lower body relative to the upper body toadjust an overall length of the portable leg support.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising adjusting the portable leg support byadjusting the retractable base using a height adjustment mechanism, theheight adjustment mechanism permitting adjustment of the height of theretractable base when extended.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein thelower body is at least partially retractable into the upper body andfurther comprising a step of extending the lower body from the upperbody.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the upper body and lower bodyare of similar cross-section, the cross-section being one of: a circle,a square, a rectangle and a semi-circle.
 19. The method of claim 13,wherein the upper leg supports and lower leg supports are of similarcross-section, the cross-section being one of: a square, a rectangle anda semi-circle.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein the lower body atleast partially retractable into the upper body and further including astep of extending the lower body from the upper body.